Not Just Lovely Laura

by Jessica Spencer

  ***

  Bessie held up a walking dress in pink jonquil.

  “Won't it make me look very young?” Laura asked.

  “You are young, my lady. What’s wrong with that?”

  “I'll wear the green dimity gown with the high collar. The new bonnet matches it. I want you to do my hair again.”

  For once, Bessie found Laura difficult to please. Her mistress either found a style too young or unbecoming. When Bessie pointed out that his Grace would be arriving within the hour, she told Bessie to hurry up and pin her hair the way she usually did.

  The Duke of Wimberley was waiting in the drawing room. “Shall we leave?” he asked, offering his arm.

  Laura accepted. Outside, she faltered at the sight of the fashionable phaeton. It looked impossibly high. “Do you find anything amiss?” Lord Wimberley asked.

  Unwilling to confess she had only traveled in carriages and barouches, she smiled brightly and stepped forward. “You will need assistance, Lady Laura!” his Grace said, hurrying to help her up.

  Color staining her cheeks, Laura sat up straight and folded her gloved hands primly in her lap. She could have been in a drawing room. When the phaeton started, she lurched forward but managed not to lose her seat or to grip the side.

  “The horses seem rather restive,” she said.

  “That's because they were made to wait. You have nothing to fear. I can manage them.”

  Laura swept a look at his hands holding the reins. They looked relaxed and yet the horses were now galloping. “I'm not frightened.”

  “That's what you said when you climbed the peach tree and didn't know how to come down. If my memory isn't failing me, you had the same look on your face.”

  Laura gave him an arch look. “Your Grace, I regret to be the one to tell you that your memory is indeed failing. I have no recollection of the incident.”

  Anthony smiled and gave his attention to the horses. They were near Hyde Park, and the number of vehicles necessitated some expert manoevring.

  It was the hour when Hyde Park was the place to be in if one wanted to be seen. Their leisurely ride was punctuated with people calling out greetings.

  Laura was enjoying herself until a carriage pulled alongside theirs. Lady Selena and Lady Goodall were in it. Lady Goodall instructed her coachman to stop. Laura knew good manners dictated that Anthony stop but she wished he would raise a hand in salute and drive on.

  After greeting Anthony effusively, Lady Goodall engaged Laura in a bewildering discussion about petunias. Lady Selena got down and walked to the other side, to engage Anthony in conversation. Laura couldn't tell what it was except that Lady Selena laughed a lot and called Anthony a 'naughty man.'

  Lady Goodall appeared smug. “Lord Wimberley looks smitten. Lady Selena will be a good choice; she knows how to discipline children.”

  A few more titters later, Lady Selena went back to her carriage. After they drove on, Laura noticed that while Anthony was polite and answered her questions, he seemed to have distanced himself. It was as if he couldn't remove himself from her presence quickly enough.

  She realized the blunder she had made. He had meant to rescue her from Lord Newington and she had stuck to him like a limpet. Her spirits plummeted. When she saw Anthony looking at her, she fixed a bright smile on her face and started chattering about inane things. Anthony raised an eyebrow as if trying to fathom what had come over her.

  But when he brought her back, she couldn't curb her runaway tongue. “I must say you have shown exemplary fortitude, your Grace.”

  “What?”

  “Thank you for your time, your Grace. I’m sensible to the sacrifice you have made,” she said and turned away before he could see her tears.

  Laura rushed up the steps and past the footman at the door. Fortunately, by the time Bessie came in, she was able to regain her composure.

  “You look pale, dear,” her mother said, coming in some time later.

  “I do feel rather tired.”

  “It has been a full week. It will make a nice change to stay at home this evening. Why don't you call it an early night? If you don't feel like dressing for dinner, you can have a tray in your room. If Helena agrees, I'll do the same. We can all do with some rest. None of us is accustomed to so much gaiety.”

  Laura changed into a comfortable round gown. Determined not to think about the disastrous ride in the park, she started reading a novel. It didn’t hold her interest. She knew she was being irrational. Anthony had been a gentleman. He had done nothing to offend her. The hour spent in his company was so much more pleasant than being with any other gentleman of her acquaintance.

  Laura was nothing but honest. She knew her disquiet was because she was attracted to Anthony. Three times during the drive she had realized she was staring at him. What had come over her? Why was she so aware of everything about his Grace? His hands, his profile, his thick lashes, the golden tints in his thick curly hair.

  It wasn't as if she hadn't seen anyone driving a pair of spirited horses. Her brother did. She almost made a fool of herself when he was handing her down. Instead of watching her step, she was gazing into his eyes. Had he not steadied her, she would have tumbled into the mud.

  She resolved she would keep away from Anthony. Even if she changed her mind about not becoming attached during the Season, the Duke of Wimberley wasn’t for her. To him, she was still a child. He remembered that she hadn’t been able to get off the peach tree, and the time when she had tumbled off the swing. He thought her a child in need of rescuing. His offer of a ride in the park had been only that.

  There was one more reason. A far more important reason why she would avoid him. The Duke of Wimberley still mourned his wife. Lady Maria had told her it had been a love match. Love was a treacherous plant, most difficult to uproot. A person could pine for a lost love for years. Her father had done that. So had her mother.

  Whatever feelings she had for Anthony, she would nip them in the bud. That was the sensible thing to do. Difficult, but sensible.

  Chapter 12

  The Duke of Wimberley grimaced as his valet fussed with his cravat. Another insipid evening stretched ahead.

  At one time he had enjoyed the revelries of the Season. Seven years ago, when his father had summoned him to London, it hadn't been a hardship. He had enjoyed the dancing and the flirting. And he had savored the sensation of falling in love with the beautiful Lady Margaret. Their glittering nuptials had been among the biggest events of the Season.

  He was older now and wise in the ways of the world. Love happened, but it was rare. One might spend a lifetime running after it or find it in an instant. He no longer had the luxury of waiting for it. His daughter needed a mother, and his home a mistress.

  What had appeared an easy task was becoming nigh impossible. Since the evening he had put in an appearance at his aunt's ball, invitations kept pouring in. It suited him to accept. But the balls, the soirees, and the parties were becoming intolerable.

  Word was already out that he was looking for his duchess among the older crop. His choice of partners had made that clear. The matchmaking mamas with fresh debutantes thought it unfair and went to the extent of telling him in poorly couched words that he needed a young woman, one who would have more chance of begetting his heir. They did not hesitate to thrust their charges in his path. Lady Bentley tried to get him into a compromising position with her daughter. She would have succeeded if not for Lady Goodall who was vigilant on his behalf. Or on behalf of her niece.

  An hour later, when he made an entrance at Lady Eversham's dance, his face bore no trace of boredom.

  “There you are!” Gareth said, clasping Anthony's hand and leading him to a corner of the ballroom. Lady Maria was already there, talking softly to Laura.

  “Lady Selena has been looking for you,” Gareth said. “I overheard her asking Lady Eversham whether you were in the card room. Lady Goodall and her niece make a formidable pair. They have decided to bring you to scratch. Bets a
re being laid that you will lead the lady to the altar soon.”

  Unlike the other women with whom he danced, Lady Selena had acquired a most possessive air. He did not know what he found more fatiguing: the balls or Lady Selena.

  Anthony grimaced. “I don't know how to avoid her without being rude. She behaves as if we have an understanding.”

  “That's why I thought to caution you. You’ve been claiming the first dance with her at every ball. You know one cannot raise expectations in a gently bred female and not honor them.”

  Laura saw Lady Goodall forging a path to their corner. Anthony wouldn’t stand a chance. He was no match for them. Before he knew it, he would be partnering Lady Selena. She would have to do something.

  “Have you accepted a partner for the first dance, your Grace?” she asked. “It's of no consequence. Just keep quiet and let me do the talking! They are here. Not a word, remember!”

  “Your Grace!” Lady Selena dropped a curtsy and shot Anthony a look that made him turn green.

  “Selena dear, didn't I tell you his Grace would arrive in time for the dancing to commence! You make a most elegant couple ...on the dance floor. It brings back memories of me and my sainted husband!”

  Here Lady Goodall applied a lacy handkerchief to her eye. Lady Selena patted her arm and gave Anthony an eloquent look, as if he was the cause of her aunt turning maudlin.

  Laura took a resolute step forward. “Your Grace, you offered to lead me to some lemonade before our dance!” she said, placing two fingers on his arm.

  “I ... I did. Your servant, Lady Goodall. Lady Selena.”

  “I owe you,” he murmured, as soon as they were out of earshot.

  “You don't. I've returning a favor. You rescued me from Lord Newington, remember?”

  “A gentleman must come to the assistance of a lady.”

  “Do I understand it galls you to accept a lady's assistance? Would you rather I'd not said anything?”

  “I'm grateful.”

  “Is that how Lady Selena and the other ladies get you to partner them? I've often wondered.”

  Anthony knew what she meant. He had seen her looking at him, anticipation in her smile, and when he had bypassed her and sought the hand of another lady, he knew she was disappointed.

  Many times he had felt her eyes on him when he was dancing. He looked for her, too. He tried not to because she was too young for him. An eight or nine year age difference wasn't considered much but he had been married and widowed. He had fathered a child and seen much of life. Though he hadn’t done anything dishonorable, he felt sullied and unworthy of her.

  Laura had led such a sheltered life. She deserved a man who wasn’t world-weary. She deserved the Anthony of seven years ago.

  “Our dance,” Laura said, bringing him back from his thoughts.

  “Our first dance,” she sighed as Anthony took her hand. He heard the soft words. They were full of longing and that frightened him.

  Fortunately, it was a country dance and did not require him to hold her. Every time they came together, they smiled and bowed. He thought Laura looked like a princess from a magical land and then chided himself for such a banal thought.

  The dance came to an end. It took Anthony a few minutes to find Gareth. He and Lady Maria had disappeared during the dance. They did that often, he had noticed. Lord Southall, Laura’s partner for the next dance, led her away.

  “I am in no mood to dance. It is better I make my excuses to Lady Eversham and leave,” Anthony said.

  “You have other names on your list. You might have luck with them,” Gareth said.

  “I've danced with practically all the women who have remained unwed. None will do.”

  “Perhaps you want a pretty face, after all.”

  “The women are not all antidotes. The problem is they are dull. If they have a mind, they are afraid to show it. Though they are practically on the shelf, they speak and behave like debutantes. Can you believe that Lady Selena kept fluttering her eyelashes at me? She stopped only when I asked if she had a speck in her eye.”

  “You look at the end of your tether. Why don't you forget about the list and enjoy yourself this evening?”

  “I fear I am not in the mood.”

  “Your Grace, it might look particular if you leave immediately after dancing with Laura. You must dance with someone else before making your excuses.”

  Anthony smiled. “Lady Maria, may I have this dance?”

  Gareth scowled. “She's dancing with me.”

  “I notice the blank on the card. If you want to dance with a lady, you must secure it and not presume upon your engagement!”

  Anthony escaped into the card room after the dance. Laura danced the supper dance with Lord Emsworth. He was in a melancholy mood. Lady Priscilla had snubbed him again. “You don’t have to sit through the supper, my lord,” Laura told him kindly. “I will not mind joining my mother.”

  Gareth invited Anthony to join them for supper. They were at a large table. The older women were clustered at one end, with the Duchess of Severn regaling them with a story from her younger days. Laura was chatting with her sister-in-law.

  As the meal came to an end, Lord Daventon and Lady Maria disappeared. Anthony had noticed the precise moment when Gareth had signaled his betrothed to leave. He was certain his friend would have found some place to snatch a kiss. They were very much in love.

  “They do that quite often,” Laura grumbled. “They are here and then they are not. You should hear the excuses they make!”

  Anthony smiled and looked at Laura. Laura caught her breath. Anthony had never looked at her like that. She didn’t speak. Neither did Anthony. Anticipation of something magical filled the silence between them.

  “Did you say something?” she asked, twisting a thick strand of her hair around a finger.

  “You are beautiful, Laura. Just beautiful. I have difficulty in believing that the little girl I knew is this beautiful young woman.”

  Laura blushed and looked away in confusion.

  “Your servant, Lady Laura.”

  With a jolt, Laura realized Anthony was taking leave of her. He stood up and inclined his head. Then he was gone.

  What a ninny she was! For the first time Anthony had really looked at her. He had paid her a compliment. And she had behaved like a lackwit! She hadn’t even thanked him. She had become accustomed to gentlemen complimenting her on her looks. She never had trouble thanking them. But when he had looked at her and told her he found her beautiful, her heart had leaped up and lodged itself in her throat.

  Laura wore a glow for the rest of the evening. When they returned home, it was close to three in the morning. Usually, she fell asleep immediately; dancing was a tiring business. Now she stared up at the canopy over her bed, smiling in the darkness. Anthony saw her as a woman. Was it a play of light or had his eyes lingered on her lips for a moment?

  When she had danced with him, and they had briefly held hands, she had felt his touch through her gloves. Was she already in love? The heroines in her novels spoke of such things.

  Laura sighed. She couldn’t ignore the fact that Anthony hadn’t asked to dance with her. He hadn’t sought her company during supper. He had said she was beautiful but what of it? Gentlemen paid compliments out of gallantry.

  Nothing had really changed. Her mother and aunt were in the right, after all. She was reading too many novels for her own good. She would read some improving works.

  And she would guard her treacherous heart against the Duke of Wimberley.

  Chapter 13

  The Duchess of Severn invited the Daventons for lunch, and to discuss the wedding.

  “St. George's is unexpectedly free. The Bannerman chit ran away to Gretna Green, not that I blame her. If parents will persist in making unsuitable matches, such things will happen. Anyway, that's beside the point. If you agree, the wedding can take place in St. George's. Three weeks is too short to plan a grand wedding but it can be done.”

 
Gareth glanced at his betrothed before answering. “We don't mean to disappoint you, your Grace. But we are set upon a country wedding with only the family and close friends in attendance. Lady Maria has consented for it to take place at my principal estate but if it pleases you, we can hold it at the Severn estate.”

  The duchess pursed her lips. Once, she would have commanded but now she wanted nothing more than to please her granddaughter. She had been cold with Maria when she had needed her love. Wrapped up in the pain of losing her son, she had ignored the orphan child. In turn, Maria had distanced herself from her grandmother. It was a miracle the breach had been mended.

  “You must have the wedding that pleases you. Have you set a date?”

  “We will stay in London until the end of the Season. This is Laura's first Season,” Gareth said.

  “You don't have to delay your wedding on that count! I have had enough of Town life for now.”

  Lady Maria glared at Gareth for being ham fisted. “Don't be a goose, Laura. We haven't finished shopping for my trousseau. By the time everything is ready, the Season will be coming to a close.”

  It was finally decided that the wedding would be held soon after the Season. Lady Maria and her grandmother would first go home and a week later, arrive at Daventon Manor. Immediately, the duchess, Lady Catherine, and Lady Helena plunged into plans for the wedding.

  “My lord,” Lady Maria said, “I have plans of visiting some shops with Laura. If you promise not to hurry us over our purchases, we will be happy of your escort.”

  ***

  A week ago, Lady Helena had suggested hosting a ball to celebrate Gareth' betrothal, and Laura’s come out.

  “It will mean a lot of work. Mother tires easily,” Gareth told her.

  “I can put up with the extra work. I want to see Daventon House come alive again.”

  “Lady Maria will help you.”

  “Of course she will. I shall involve Laura too. It will be good practice for her when she is mistress of her own home. A governess can only teach so much. I will also keep an eye on your mother, to that she doesn’t overtire herself.”